A NEW Chinese restaurant has opened in Newcastle after accessing finance from the Government’s Funding for Lending scheme.

Sky Chinese Cuisine Limited based in Stowell Street, the heart of Newcastle’s Chinatown area, has opened its doors providing over 200 covers for diners in the former Kung Fu School.

Restaurateur Steve Chan, who has over 20 years experience in other successful restaurants in the North East, received a 2% cash-back lump sum from Barclays through the Funding for Lending scheme.

He said: “We pride ourselves on the customer experience we offer at Sky Chinese Cuisine and the new venture has created 25 jobs locally and we have brought in a chef from Hong Kong to deliver authentic, quality food.

“We’ve been open for a couple of weeks now and we’ve had an amazing response from customers who are quickly spreading the word. The timing of this investment could not have been better and the cash-back payment from Barclays will provide a buffer to help manage finances over the quieter winter months in the New Year.”

Martin Griggs, relationship manager at business banking at Barclays said: “By participating in the Government-backed Funding for Lending scheme, Barclays is able to pass on the whole benefit we derive to our customers and we are optimistic that people will take advantage of this cheap time to borrow, and make the investment decisions that they have been putting off.”